"The message that we have received from EU consumers has been loud and clear. They do not find it acceptable to farm cats and dogs for their fur, nor do they want products containing such fur sold on the European market," said Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection, Markos Kyprianou.

The Commission says that different countries have taken different approaches to banning cat and dog fur, such as bans on rearing cats and dogs for fur, trade or import bans, and compulsory labelling.

It says the different legal requirements in each country could fragment the internal market for fur, so a co-ordinated approach is necessary.

The Commission's plan aims to:

Block cat and dog fur imports at the border

Introduce penalties for traders

Encourage sharing of information on how to detect cat and dog fur.

The Commission says there is no evidence that cats and dogs are being bred for their fur inside the EU.

It says the obligation on member states to carry out checks and test for the fur will also provide a clearer picture of what products it is being used in, and where it comes from.

As cat and dog fur can be hard to detect when it is dyed, some states are already using hi-tech systems - mass spectrometry or DNA testing - to identify it.

A study commissioned by Dutch animal protection organisation Bont voor Dieren (Fur for Animals) in 2002 found canine DNA in five out of 93 fur items studied.